


Two times Guadalupe was here for Pepper Potts and the one she wasn't

by AnnabethBarnes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: I should have never rewatched this movie, Multi, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), also I've cried as I was writing, and my friend can now call me Drama Bitch, i'm not even sorry, it's sad, which I'm kinda proud of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 18:31:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16180778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnabethBarnes/pseuds/AnnabethBarnes
Summary: Guadalupe has been Pepper personal secretary for the last three years. Of course she had always knew it would be hard to work for her and that maybe one day she would be in front line for a major crisis like the one in New-York. What she couldn't imagine was that this eventuality would come this quickly... and that Pepper wouldn't be here.





	Two times Guadalupe was here for Pepper Potts and the one she wasn't

Guadalupe Ngozi wasn’t ready for this. God knows she was hardly ready for being Pepper Pott’s secretary in the first place. Now, she had to deal with a boss throwing up at ten in the morning before a meeting, and there she was, holding her blond hair while she had her head stuck in the toilet.

“Are you alright Miss?”

Until the wedding, Pepper had forbidden her to call her madam and even less Mrs. Stark. Guadalupe had tried once and it had ended with her facing the most outraged Pepper in the world. “If it was up to me, the man should be the one taking his spouse name **" s** he had said between her teeth. Guadalupe had never tried again.

“Yeah… yeah… It’s… I’m fine.” Pepper said. “It’s nothing.”

“Sure Miss?”

“Totally, Tony and I had quite a night… I thought the hangover had passed but I was wrong.”

Then, Pepper smiled and went  back to her office and so did Guadalupe.

 

Two weeks later, Guadalupe was late and she had to rush into her office, praying she wouldn’t be caught by Pepper. Of course Pepper caught her, if it had been the other way **,** it wouldn’t have been fun. But Guadalupe was wrong about the pale face of her boss, it wasn’t because she was angry at her, it was because she was worried.

“I need you to go to the pharmacy.”

Guadalupe raised an eyebrow at her. She sure was pale but she seemed well. Maybe a little stressed but that was all. But it was in her attributions so she ran to the next pharmacy and came back with the box Pepper needed and frankly, Guadalupe was smiling when she came back.

“When are you going to tell Mister Stark?” She asked Pepper when she handed her the little bag.

“Not until I’m very sure… Listen I don’t want anyone to finds out. Not even FRIDAY.”

“I’ve paid in cash, nothing she can trace.”

“Good… And Guadalupe?”

“Yes Miss?”

“Thank you.”

She then disappeared into her private bathroom for half an hour. When she came back, Guadalupe asked nothing. If her boss had wanted to talk she would have reached for her, now wasn’t the right time.

 

The next day, Pepper didn’t show up at work. Guadalupe accomplished everything she had to do and even treated herself with that brownie she had seen in the café next to the Stark Tower. It was a perfect day, particularly sunny and warm. No wonder Miss Potts didn’t show up, she must have take her day off to stay with Mister Stark, they had a hard timelast year and they were still putting the pieces all together. They needed times. The woman was happy for them; they deserved it more than anyone else. There she was, sitting in the sun, the newspaper sprayed all over the table, a cup of coffee in one hand, a piece of her brownie in the other when a very disturbed Pepper practically ran to her.

Or, to be more specific, into her.

The woman seemed very distracted and hadn’t seen her colleague before it was too late. Stumbling on her chair, Guadalupe only had the time to grab her arm before her fall on the ground. It was only at this moment that she noticed the tears in the woman’s eyes.

“Miss, what-what is happening?”

“Ooooh, Lupita… It’s-It’s Tony.”

Pepper would have never called her by her nickname if she hadn’t been very worried and shaken to her core. Hugging her boss, Guadalupe tried to make her seat so she could explain everything but the woman was strong and before she could realize it Guadalupe had to run behind her to the Stark Tower. There, in the hall all the screens were on the same channel and what they were showing wasn’t a good thing to watch.

“Are we safe here?”  Ngozi asked. “Are they coming for him?”

“Not for him, not this time…” Pepper was as pale as if she was dead.

“Then for what?”

“They come for us…”

“Us?”

“The Earth…”

It’s not that it sounded like a cliché in a bad movie that madeher shake; it was the look on Pepper’s face, the way she was crying without realizing it. It was associating what the screens were showing and those tears that frightened Guadalupe.

 

After her call to Tony, Pepper was even paler. She knew he was not coming back, she knew there was only a little chance to see him again. When she came for Guadalupe, there was no trace of hope in her eyes, nothing. Just pain and fear.

“What are we supposed to do now? It’s all over the news.”

“Prepare… prepare for an eventual attack… Call everyone; make sure they are all safe. Make sure they are armed and in possession of food for at least three weeks… After that I don’t know what will happen… I need, my God, I need a chair.”

Running for her desk-chair, the woman catchedher friend before she fall.

“Pepper! Are you alright?”

“He doesn’t know… He didn’t know… He had this dream and I didn’t tell him… It was my chance… I should have…

-Pepper, look at me… Look at me. It’s nothing; he’s not going to be mad at you for that. It’s going to be ok… Pepper…

-Lupita… He doesn’t know I’m pregnant…”

 

Guadalupe thought about this moment when the man arrived on Earth. He was clearly not at his best and was accompanied by quite an impressive blue woman. Guadalupe was still mourning, her brother had call two hours ago, their mother was gone, so were their little sister and his wife. Guadalupe was mourning her neighbors and her coworkers. She was mourning her girlfriend that had disappeared before her own eyes as she was packing for a safer place than New-York. She was mourning Humanity. But at this very moment, she was mourning Pepper Potts. Pepper Potts who hired her three years ago. Pepper Potts who once showed up in her office in a full Santa-costume asking her if she had seen her fake belly. Pepper Potts who never forgets to bring her flowers and cookies for her birthday. Pepper Potts who cried with her when she acknowledged she was becoming an aunt. Pepper Potts, the kind and sweet Pepper. Tony’s strength and light. Guadalupe’s friend.

A friend whois no longer alive.

Guadalupe had to tell him, she knew that. She had to tell him the truth. And even if she didn't do it now, he will soon find out. Maybe he already knew because he automatically hugged her and it was not the kind of hug she was used to from him. The few times he had hug her it was because she had all arranged for him and Pepper to meet and once because he was drunk. But this time it was clearly different. He didn't let her go, because he was mourning too.

“How many?” She simply asked.

“All of them… All… We are the last one…” He said.

“Oh, Tony…” It was not time for title, it was time for love and support and the man will need them.

“The kid… He didn’t… He didn’t make it.”

Guadalupe didn't have to turn to see his face his face to know he was crying. She didn't have to speak to know he won’t respond. He was hurt to the core, all his bones are broken and she waswondering what could make him stand. But he was not, she was barely breathing.

When he said her name, Guadalupe shook her head. No words were worth the woman she was, no words could say the horrible truth to this man that had lost everything now. And when he fell on his knees, shooting at the sky, hitting the ground until his knuckles bleeds, Lupita didn'tmove, she didn't try to stop him.

Because she had something else to say.

And she knew Tony needed to be ready to take it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this and again I'm really sorry for all the misspell, English isn't my first language. Let me know if you see some and I'll correct it. Again, @OurMagicClem thank you for your beta-reading and I'm still not sorry for that (I know you will come back with something worse)


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